streaming

Factors Impacting My Content for In Third Person

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Whether I’m writing in-depth fighting game guides, sharing streaming advice, or recommending games for your next board game night, In Third Person has always been a reflection of my life situation and interests at any given moment in time. It makes for an experience that’s difficult to follow on an ongoing basis, but my top priority has always been to give myself the freedom to make whatever I want with the time I have available to commit to this passion project.

These last few years have been no different. Due to some major global events, lifestyle changes, and new hobbies, my output continues to change with me.

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Improve the Sound of Your Microphone by Adding a De-Esser in OBS

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When your voice gets recorded or broadcasted through a microphone, it oftentimes emphasizes the harsh tones that occur when you make certain sounds with your voice. In particular, sibilant consonants such as “s” and “z” are overemphasized through a microphone and create tones that are unpleasant to listen to. You don’t want to drive viewers away because it hurts their ears every time you say words like “snake”, “sand”, or “zebra”.

Thankfully, minimizing those unpleasant tones can be done through a de-esser. You can set one up in OBS within a matter of minutes with the help of this guide. Kudos to Atomic Overdrive for almost all of this information, as I followed their guide while trying to resolve my sibilance issues and am largely adapting their knowledge in this post. However, I will try to add any extra insight I have to make this a more complete guide for you, including where to put the de-esser in your processing chain.

Follow along and let’s make your voice even more pleasant to listen to by adding a de-esser in OBS!

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[VIDEO] Blue Yeti Nano vs. Shure MV7 – Sound Comparison and Best Settings for Both!

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The Blue Yeti Nano and Shure MV7 are two popular USB microphones. Which one works best for you? This video let’s you hear both out-of-the-box, as well as with processing to make both sound their best! I also share my thoughts on my experiences using both.

View the full post to see the video!

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Overcome the Inherent Challenges That Come with Squad Streaming

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A fundamental challenge with game streaming is that you have to find a way to split your attention between the game you’re playing and the audience you’re entertaining. Being able to manage these disparate tasks is a challenge, but it’s a skill that one can develop with practice.

Introducing friends into the mix divides your attention even further. In the heat of the moment, it’s incredibly easy to forget about your audience as you banter with your friends. While there’s a certain level of communication required for teams to coordinate with one another, a stream where the dialogue only consists of teammates calling out sniper positions or yelling for healing doesn’t make for a great viewing experience.

Even between matches, don’t assume the banter between you and your friends is inherently engaging from a viewer’s perspective. By focusing solely on your group chat, viewers can feel like voyeurs in your gaming session rather than welcome members of the experience. When viewers feel like they’re creeping on you, they’re more likely to leave.

Here are some things you can do to make your squad streams better from a viewer’s perspective!

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What Gamers Can Learn From Music Streamers on Twitch

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One of my favourite non-gaming corners of Twitch to visit is the music section. From musicians showcasing their talents, to producers talking shop about the creative process, to DJ sets that give me something to listen to for extended sessions, there’s a lot of entertainment to be had here.

I also think there’s a lot that we as game streamers can learn from music streamers, even if we don’t have a musical bone in our bodies.

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Examples of Twitch and YouTube Streaming Overlay Design Elements That I Really Like

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What makes for a good streaming overlay? With streaming as a medium still in its infancy, the answer is rapidly-evolving and highly-subjective. Once upon a time, overlays weren’t a thing. Then we moved into a phase where streamers filled the screen with design elements and widgets. These days, the new wave is a larger camera view within your gameplay scene so that viewers get a better view of the streamer.

Furthermore, overlays aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. As one example, I greatly prefer the look of streams that put the camera overtop of full-width gameplay. However, that particular presentation style doesn’t work for speed-runners who display their time splits on the side or for retro games that are presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio.

Based on my experiences of watching Twitch and tinkering with my own overlay, here are aspects of overlay design that I like. There are links to every streamer I reference in case you’re interested in checking them out. I’m by no means an expert on overlay design. Just using this post to share design elements that I appreciate!

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Tips for Narrating and Commentating on Your Gameplay While Streaming on Twitch or YouTube

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Your voice is your most valuable asset as a streamer. No one else in the world sounds exactly like you. No one else has your exact perspective on the world. No one else can share your specific insight on a game or subject. The more you use your voice, the more you will stand out amongst the masses, even if you’re playing the same games as everyone else.

In spite of this power that we all wield, countless streamers under-utilize their voice. They sit silently for minutes at a time, even when some are streaming with the best microphone audio can buy. Considering how first impressions are usually made in seven seconds or less, viewers may be leaving in droves because your silence gives viewers the sense that you’re just another streamer playing a video game with nothing else to offer.

Coming up with stuff to talk about for hours on end is difficult, especially if you’re not the talkative type. Thankfully, there’s a convenient source of material to draw from right in front of your face: the game you’re playing. By narrating and commenting on you’re in-game actions, thought process, and reactions, you’ll almost always have something of value to say. Here are some tips for narrating and commentating like a pro!

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Advanced Green Screen Tutorial: How-To Only Chroma Key Specific Spots of Your Camera in OBS

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Using green screen technology is an awesome way to merge the physical and digital worlds together. For the past few months, I’ve been using a green screen and the chroma key feature in OBS to display a digital slideshow within a physical frame.

Though I love the effect it creates, the technology comes with limitations. Chroma key filters don’t just remove your green screen, they remove everything in view with a close enough shade of green. Your clothes, objects, and lights can all get eaten by the chroma key, which is an awful side effect.

Recently, I have discovered a way to minimize the chroma key’s area of effect. Using this particular setup, you can still wear green or use green lights as long as they don’t overlap with your green screen.

Heads up that this one is a bit messy to implement and it does require you to download a third-party OBS plugin. Also, since this requires a third-party OBS plugin, this trick won’t work in Streamlabs OBS. Sorry! But for OBS users, try this technique to focus the green screen effect to just your green screen!

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How to Easily Add Rounded Corners to Your OBS Camera View

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Rounding off the corners of your camera view is a slick effect one can implement on their stream to stand out. One could achieve this effect in the old days by creating an image mask. Image masks are still great for custom shapes, but there’s an easier way to achieve that effect thanks to an OBS plugin. Here’s how to do it!

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Make Your Camera Any Shape in OBS with Image Masks

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By default, your camera feed will appear as a rectangle. But did you know that you can make your camera appear in any shape you want? Yes, it’s possible to just round out the corners, go full-on circle, or any other shape your can imagine. Here’s how you can achieve this look in OBS or Streamlabs OBS!

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